Flashbacks
Flashbacks (also called analepses) are a common storytelling device during which the current narrative shifts to a point in the past, recalling an earlier event or series of events related to the main narrative. Flashbacks are typically used as a means to allow the viewer to see events prior to the beginning of the main narrative (an external flashback) or to revisit prior events in the main narrative (an internal flashback). makes extensive use of both types of flashbacks, as well as in medias res, a type of flashback that returns to an unseen earlier time to earlier unseen events in order to explain the present. They can either depict a specific character’s memory or a series of events which happened in the past and are now crucial to current events. Thusfar, every main cast member's character has had a flashback, although Amy Acker was not main cast at the time of her character's flashback, whereas only a few recurring characters have had flashbacks: Carl Elias, Nathan Ingram, Kara Stanton, Hersh, and Alicia Corwin. Presentation Usually a flashback is introduced by a timeline that takes the audience back to a specific point in the past. Most episodes with flashbacks have two to four flashback sequences where at least one flashback is accompanied by a timeline. Some of the flashbacks that present relevant background information are presented from the Machine's point of view. In these flashbacks, colored squares are applied to the characters. Examples: *The Machine recorded the phone call Jessica made to her mother. *The Machine accessed National Clandestine Services (NCS) Archival Database and retrieved footage of Reese and Kara Stanton on several missions in locations including Hungary , New York , Morocco , Ordos , Prague , and Paris . *The Machine read feeds from Iraq and found Carter in a military camp. If the flashback is a character’s memory, it usually revolves around that character and is told from that character's point of view. If the flashback features background information that is relevant to current events, characters other than the main character can appear and the flashback is told from a neutral point of view. Examples: *Nathan and Alicia meeting in the bar and discuss shipping the Machine. *Nathan creating the Contingency. Reese's Flashbacks Reese's flashbacks are principally personal memories in combination with scenes that occurred earlier in time but relate to a current event. Reese's flashbacks are presented in many ways and supported by a different color scheme. Flashbacks involving Jessica Arndt and other personal experiences are mostly in warmer tones whereas flashbacks revolving around his work with the CIA are usually presented in cold, blue tones. Finch's Flashbacks Finch's flashbacks in the first season provide additional information about the creation of the Machine. In the Season 1, no personal memories were depicted. The flashbacks are exclusively in cooler blue tones and always introduced by a timeline. Finch's flashbacks in the second season revolve more around personal memories during the period of time he was working on the Machine and the development of his relationship with his fiancée Grace Hendricks. The color scheme also changes from slate blue in scenes where he works with the Machine to warmer tones in those scenes where he spends personal time with Grace. Use of in medias res Most flashbacks take place several years before the current timeline. In , , , and , the flashback reverts to an event at an earlier point of time in the same episode. For example, in , there is an in medias res flashback to May 15, 2012 while the main events in the episode begin on May 17. Similarly, in "The Crossing", an in medias res flashback is used to answer Reese's question regarding what started a sequence of events in the episode. Trivia In the movie The Passion of The Christ, in which Jim Caviezel portrayed Jesus, and in the television series Lost, in which Michael Emerson played Ben Linus, the use of flashbacks were instrumental in providing insight into the characters and plot. In a flashback in Season One's episode Super, Harold explains to Nathan how The Machine works. In that flashback Harold mentions the bombing of a Jewish community center in 1994. It was on the Ninth of Av (Tisha b' Av / July 18, 1994) that the Jewish Community Center was bombed in Buenos Aires killing 86 people and wounding 300 others. *In Season 1, Reese has six flashbacks, Finch has three, and Carter and Carl Elias each have one. *In Season 2, Reese has one flashback, Finch has six, and Root, Kara Stanton, Hersh, and Nathan Ingram each have one (Ingram and Hersh share theirs with Finch in their respective episodes). *In Season 3, Samantha Shaw has had two flashbacks, and Carter, Finch, Reese, and Fusco have each had one. * has the largest number of flashback sequences: nine, and also the only episode that has a flashback embedded in a flashback when Reese sits in Jessica's house in 2011, remembering Jessica calling him in 2010. List of Flashbacks Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Category:Storyline Category:Literary Techniques Category:Lists